20 Day Jump Start Program: DAY 6

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Derrick has to go back to work today, which is always the worst day of the week. Luckily I have work meetings, Christmas party shopping and Bootcamp to keep me busy 🙂

As promised, today you will get a day off from working out. It’s important to let your body rest when it needs it, and 5 days of exercise means you probably need it!

Here are my top rest day exercises:

Yoga

Foam Rolling

Stretching

Hiking

Walking

Gentle Bike Rides

No movement at all 🙂

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

Just as important as rest is to overall health, so is adequate consumption of water.

Did you know that we often dehydrate ourselves without even realizing it??

Check out these 9 Common ways you’re dehydrating yourself;

Your body is about 60% water so it goes without saying that you don’t just need it live but you need it to be healthy.

Did you know that even a 2% decline will put you on the verge of dehydration and leave you moody, tired, and unable to functional mentally?

While there are a lot of reasons your hydration will fluctuate day-to-day, these 10 behaviors are major culprits!

Not drinking enough water to begin with

Here’s the deal, your body needs water to function. If you want to ‘get healthy’, ‘lose weight’, ‘trim fat’, ‘tone up’, ‘build muscle’, ect. You need water and lots of it. Inadequate hydration will be as detrimental to your success as sneaking candies or chips all night, excess cheat meals, and binge drinking,

Alcohol

There are a couple ways those end-of-the-week-cocktails can cause dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases the loss of bodily fluids through all those bathroom breaks you and your besties made. If you really over indulge and end up with your head in the toilet, you can expect even lower hydration levels come morning. So listen to your elders, stay hydrated throughout the night, and know your limits!

Caffeine

While coffee has its benefits, like alcohol, it’s also a diuretic. Although some scientists have been working to disprove this, being a liquid it will undoubtedly make you urinate and cause some dehydration if not for the diuretic properties.

Not properly rehydrating after exercise

For the average person, you probably don’t need to worry too much about this. Drinking water before during and after exercise is most likely enough to make up for any hydration loss. Factors that increase this reduction are heat, humidity, workout duration and intensity levels. If you feel more depleted than normal after a mid-summer sweat sesh, grab a bottle with natural electrolytes to rehydrate.

Your new diet

Your friend at work told you the best way to shed 10 lbs is to eliminate carbs. While you probably shouldn’t be listening to said ‘friend’, this could be a major factor of changes in hydration levels. Your body stores carbs and fluid synergistically. A lack of carbohydrates can cause a reduction in fluids, hence less water in the body. Additionally, most go-to carbs (oatmeal, rice, pasta) cook by soaking up water which is a benefit to hydration levels. Instead of eliminating carbs entirely, replace the bad carbs you’re eating with whole ones and make sure to properly portion. The weight will still come off and you’ll stay hydrated while doing it.

Stress

We’ve all been there. That major project you’ve been working on is due in a week, your family is about to invade your personal bubble for the holiday, you haven’t gotten Christmas presents yet, you haven’t done laundry in a month. Stress.

Simply put, stress puts your body into hormone production overdrive, rendering your adrenal glands unable to properly regulate fluid and electrolyte levels. When hormone levels drop back off it leaves you dehydrated. With everything going on, you probably forgot to have a single sip of water today.

Altitude

High altitude does all kinds of goofy things to a body that’s not acclimated. Have you ever gone drinking in Denver? Plan to your clear your schedule for the next few days while you recover. At 6000 ft above sea level your body will exhale and perspire twice as much moisture as normal. Even a slight rise in elevation will increase urination frequency and effect fluid levels, leaving your body in serious need of H20. Especially if you were brave enough to go out on the town.

Age

Lots of unwanted side effects come with aging, including a developed inability to sense thirst as well as a decline of the body’s ability to conserve water. This combination can lead to dehydration without even realizing it. Both the aging, and plain forgetful, populations could use a system to help remember to drink water regularly. Make a game out of it, set alarms on your phone or write yourself notes – whatever works for you to keep you hydrated!

Lack of fruits and Veggies

Did you know that filling up to half your plate with fruits and veggies can provide up to 2 extra cups of water a day? Things like you, I, fruits and veggies that require water to grow and prosper tend to be mostly made up of it. Developing a well-balanced nutritional diet will not only provide you with adequate hydration, but help the pounds come off quickly as well!